If there were no monsters and no magic

6. Chapter 6

“Uh-oh,” Emmett said as we made our way to the food court. “I know that silence.”

I glared at him, but didn’t answer. Instead, I focused all my energy on thinking about what Bella might want to eat.

Come on, Eddie. Can’t bottle up your emotions inside forever!

I hoped the growl emanating from my chest would be enough to stop Emmett’s incessant thoughts, but I was sorely mistaken.

Think we should take a little trip out to La Push and rough him up?

I tried not to grin, but the idea was incredibly appealing.

“I knew it!” Emmett said. “Come on, you know it’s been so long since we had a fight, a real fight.”

I sighed heavily. “We can’t go out there, you idiot. As much as I’d love to… we have the treaty to think about.” I allowed myself briefly to imagine driving to La Push and beating Jacob to a bloody pulp. But no, we had a treaty and we couldn’t break it. No matter how much I wanted to.

“Ugh,” Emmett groaned.

“I could quite literally kill him though.” I said, growling again.

“Yeah, I know. That was some conversation, huh?”

I groaned. The conversation. I could not even think about that right now, or I would get in my car, drive to La Push, and …

“Come on, Eddie. All of this food is disgusting anyways. Let’s just get something and find a table, I’ll call Alice and get them to meet us over here. I don’t want to miss anything. Bella could do something funny any minute now!” Emmett whined.

“Somehow I doubt that,” I murmured. I could hear her sobbing from here. I could really just kill that moronic dog.

“How hard is it really?” I asked no one in particular. “All he had to do was take care of her and make sure she doesn’t get hurt! He couldn’t even do that! He really is useless.”

“He could at least ensure that she was well fed. Look at how thin she’s gotten.” I grumbled.

“She is a little thinner than the last time,” Emmett agreed. Although, check out the curves on her now. Hot!

“Would you like for me to remove one of your arms for you?” I asked through clenched teeth. Then images flashed in my head of a nearly-naked Bella. “EMMETT!”

“Sorry ‘bout that. I forgot I was with Edward the pure and the chaste.”

With a movement too fast for the humans near to see, I moved my hand and hit him in the back of his head.

“Touché, little brother, touché,” he said with a laugh. I think you just wish you could see her curves for yourself!

Well, there was really no point in denying it. Of course I wanted to see Bella. That was never the problem, though, was it? The problem was Bella only saw Jacob. I couldn’t blame her though. If I’d never left in the first place, things would probably be so different right now. But I had left and – in doing so – essentially pushed them together. So I really had no one to blame but myself.

He was right about that. Human food is absolutely vile. I finally got some food from a deli, and we made our way to the corner of the court where Alice and Bella were sitting. Bella was no longer sobbing, but her face and neck were splotchy and tear-stained. I could just kill Jacob.

“Feeding time for the human,” I said softly and pushed the tray of food in front of her.

“Thanks,” she whispered, not looking up. She hadn’t looked at me once, and I wished – again – that I could know what she was thinking. Was she unhappy to see us – to see me? If only I knew what she was thinking! If only she would look at me!

Alice seemed to hear my desperate pleas. I’ll give you two some privacy.

“We’ll be back,” she promised Bella. She winked at me over her shoulder and flittered off, dragging Emmett behind her.

It took every ounce of self-control I had to not to reach over and brush the hair off her shoulders so that I could see her beautiful face better. To be this close to her yet so far away was agonizing. Neither of us spoke for several minutes. She picked at her food with her delicate fingers, and I tried not to look at the rings on her left hand. Rings that she’d taken – probably – without months of desperate pleas. His rings.

“Eat, Bella,” I murmured.

She looks as me then as if my voice had broken her out of a trance. The breath I didn’t need caught in my throat as her chocolate eyes meet mine.

“I’d forgotten…” she said and stopped. Her face flushed red, and I could hear her heartbeat increase, but she didn’t continue.

“Forgotten?” I asked, trying not to sound impatient. What had she forgotten? Would it never stop bothering me that I couldn’t hear her thoughts?

“How beautiful you are,” she gasped.

And with that one airy sentence, I was nearly undone. I clenched my hands into fists under the table because if I left them unattended, I would have grabbed her and pulled her into my arms and never let her go. I was bombarded by memories – all my memories – of her at once. We’re kissing in her bed, in my bed, in the meadow. She’s whispering my name while she sleeps. She’s touching my arms, my face, my heart…

A million questions run through my head at lightening speed, but I settle on an easy one – one that I’m sure won’t hurt to hear the answer to.

“How are you?” I asked, still holding her gaze.

“I’m cold,” she said and shivered.

I should have known. Bella never reacts as I expect her to. Even the one safe question wasn’t safe. All those nights we spent together, she never once said she was cold. I could feel my heart shattering into pieces as I realized it was his fire – not my ice – that she longed for now.